West Virginia - Wild and Wonderful

About West Virginia

West Virginia is noted for its mountains and diverse topography, its historically significant logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history. It is one of the most densely karstic areas in the world, making it a choice area for recreational caving and scientific research.

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Business

West Virginia is full of opportunity for any business with a growing economy and a highly dedicated workforce. Whether you are running an existing business or thinking of starting a new business you can find all of the information you need throughout this business section.

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Education

West Virginia is fortunate to have a tremendous education system with a high standard of excellence. Please use the information provided here to learn more about the wealth of educational opportunities in our great state.

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Employment

West Virginia is home to one of the finest workforces in the country based on our hard work and commitment to quality. Whether you are looking for new job opportunities, enhancing your job skills or researching future employment trends you can find all of the information you need throughout this employment section.

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Family

West Virginia offers the perfect balance of a rural and urban setting that suits a variety of lifestyles. This is a state where you can go whitewater rafting in the morning, go to an art exhibit in the afternoon and attend a concert in the evening. Whether you just moved to the Mountain State or your family has been here since it was founded, you are part of our community.

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Health

Maintaining proper health is vital to ensuring the highest quality of life possible. West Virginia strives to provide one of the best health care systems in the country that is affordable and available to all residents of the state. This section contains numerous resources to assist you in accessing the health care services provided in the state.

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Tourism

Exhilarate in the lasting beauty and natural wonder scattered throughout West Virginia. From unmatched outdoor recreation to world-class resorts, breathtaking scenery and a variety of cultural and historic attractions, West Virginia is an ideal spot to plan your next adventure. Discover for yourself what makes West Virginia wild and wonderful.

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 West Virginia Hunters Harvest 154,524 Deer in 2009 

1/14/2010  Preliminary counts of game checking tags indicate West Virginia hunters harvested a total of 154,524 white-tailed deer during the recently completed bucks-only, antlerless, muzzleloader, archery and youth/Class Q deer seasons, according to West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro. This year’s total harvest was 5.5 percent below the 2008 deer harvest of 163,603. Hunters killed a total of 63,590 bucks during the firearms deer season, 54,617 antlerless-season deer, 27,558 archery-season deer and 8,759 muzzleloader-season deer during the 2009 deer hunting seasons.

Antlerless Deer Season

The 2009 antlerless deer season, which includes the youth/Class Q deer hunts, was 2.8 percent below 2008 but 4.8 percent above the five-year average of 52,095.  “It is important to note that a major component of our agency’s deer management strategy is to regulate the harvest of antlerless deer in individual counties to raise or lower the future deer population,” said Jezioro. The top 10 counties for antlerless deer harvests are: Lewis (2,565), Jackson (2,509), Preston (2,419), Mason (2,238), Ritchie (2,098), Wood (2,068), Harrison (1,946), Monroe (1,731), Braxton (1,654) and Hardy (1,612).

Muzzleloader Deer Season

The 2009 muzzleloader harvest of 8,759 was 150 deer more than the 2008 harvest but 7.4 percent below the five-year average of 9,464. The top 10 counties for muzzleloader deer harvests are: Preston (450), Lewis (408), Jackson (339), Braxton (331), Randolph (299), Mason (290), Wood (282), Grant (267), Harrison (264) and Ritchie (254).

Archery Deer Season

The bowhunters’ take of 27,558 deer was 12 percent below the 2008 harvest of 31,408 but four percent above the five-year average harvest of 26,465. The top 10 counties for archery deer harvests are: Randolph (1,077), Preston (1,048), Kanawha (930), Nicholas (840), Wood (833), Jackson (815), Greenbrier (813), Fayette (743), Raleigh (731) and Logan (728).

 

2009 WEST VIRGINIA DEER HARVEST

COUNTY

BUCK

ANTLERLESS

MUZZLELOADER

BOW

TOTAL

Barbour

1,325

1,577

239

503

3,644

Brooke

379

587

95

299

1,360

Hancock

345

552

118

409

1,424

Harrison

1,751

1,946

264

543

4,504

Marion

1,128

1,494

174

486

3,282

Marshall

1,322

1,189

225

400

3,136

Monongalia

1,540

1,577

189

692

3,998

Ohio

414

478

62

223

1,177

Preston

2,134

2,419

450

1,048

6,051

Taylor

729

886

94

278

1,987

Tucker

881

608

98

443

2,030

Wetzel

1,488

1,407

246

335

3,476

District I Subtotal

13,436

14,720

2,254

5,659

36,069

Berkeley

650

735

107

430

1,922

Grant

1,259

977

267

426

2,929

Hampshire

1,593

1,602

224

307

3,726

Hardy

1,612

1,612

210

415

3,849

Jefferson

463

502

65

354

1,384

Mineral

1,160

1,171

157

314

2,802

Morgan

595

718

106

210

1,629

Pendleton

1,232

1,034

206

324

2,796

Dist. II Subtotal

8,564

8,351

1,342

2,780

21,037

Braxton

1,909

1,654

331

653

4,547

Clay

556

184

37

293

1,070

Lewis

2,232

2,565

408

614

5,819

Nicholas

1,220

274

28

840

2,362

Pocahontas

1,366

95

18

388

1,867

Randolph

1,961

722

299

1,077

4,059

Upshur

1,388

1,310

193

586

3,477

Webster

892

168

14

623

1,697

Dist. III Subtotal

11,524

6,972

1,328

5,074

24,898

Fayette

893

344

176

743

2,156

Greenbrier

2,002

1,217

212

813

4,244

McDowell

C

C

C

582

582

Mercer

621

336

114

550

1,621

Monroe

1,604

1,731

247

606

4,188

Raleigh

700

74

29

731

1,534

Summers

960

1,010

125

529

2,624

Wyoming

C

C

C

681

681

Dist. IV Subtotal

6,780

4,712

903

5,235

17,630

Boone

638

32

22

373

1,065

Cabell

700

563

123

378

1,764

Kanawha

1,281

648

140

930

2,999

Lincoln

904

54

37

412

1,407

Logan

C

C

C

728

728

Mason

2,145

2,238

290

714

5,387

Mingo

C

C

C

328

328

Putnam

1,114

971

128

521

2,734

Wayne

963

327

69

244

1,603

Dist. V Subtotal

7,745

4,833

809

4,628

18,015

Calhoun

1,151

1,006

180

316

2,653

Doddridge

1,420

1,210

191

251

3,072

Gilmer

1,328

1,165

239

325

3,057

Jackson

2,521

2,509

339

815

6,184

Pleasants

574

544

49

43

1,210

Ritchie

2,026

2,098

254

455

4,833

Roane

2,153

1,610

206

547

4,516

Tyler

1,168

1,572

160

225

3,125

Wirt

1,276

1,247

223

372

3,118

Wood

1,924

2,068

282

833

5,107

Dist. VI Subtotal

15,541

15,029

2,123

4,182

36,875

STATE TOTAL

63,590

54,617

8,759

27,558

154,524

 

 

Contact Information

Curtis Taylor 
304-558-2771 
wildlife@wvdnr.gov